METHOD FOR PREPARING SECONDARY BATTERY
Provided is a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus and method that prepare a secondary battery inner cell stack of a Z-folding stacking format. To be specific, provided is a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus and method according to a method for performing multiple insertions on a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates at once in both sides after folding a separator in a zigzag shape in advance.
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The present invention relates to a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a method for preparing a secondary battery inner cell stack including an anode, a cathode and a separator in a stacking type.
BACKGROUND ARTDifferently from a primary battery, researches on a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery have been actively progressed according to development of high-tech fields including a digital camera, cellular phone, a lap-top computer, and a hybrid vehicle. Examples of the secondary battery include a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, and a lithium secondary battery.
Methods for preparing a secondary battery inner cell stack are divided into two types. In case of a small secondary battery, a method for arraying and winding the anode and cathode plates on the separator and preparing the secondary battery in a jelly-roll format is generally adopted. In case of a medium-large secondary battery having a larger capacity of electricity, a method for preparing the secondary battery by stacking the anode plate, the cathode plate and the separator in a proper order is generally used.
There are many methods for preparing the secondary battery inner cell stack in a stacking type. In a method of Z-folding called ‘Z-folding’, ‘zigzag folding’ or ‘accordion folding’ among the methods, as shown in
In order to actually realize the Z-folding stacking format, KR Patent Registration No. 0309604 discloses a method for folding the separator 3 after arraying a plurality of anode plates at one side and a plurality of anode plates at the other side of the separator. The method is widely used when the secondary battery inner cell stack of the jelly-roll format is prepared. However, when the method is used, there is a difficulty in alignment of the anode plate and the cathode plate. An apparatus shown in
In a method shown in
In a method shown in
The typical method may properly acquire a superior result with regard to an alignment state. However, since the layers are stacked one by one, there is a limitation that it takes a long time to complete one cell stack and productivity is remarkably reduced. Accordingly, improvement on the limitation has been requested by people having an ordinary skill in the art.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical ProblemAn object of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus and method according to a method for performing multiple insertions on a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates at once in both sides after folding a separator in a zigzag shape in advance.
Solution to ProblemIn one general aspect, a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus prepares a secondary battery inner cell stack comprising a separator folded in a zigzag shape, and an anode plate and a cathode plate that are alternately inserted and stacked in folded portions of the separator, wherein a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates are simultaneously inserted into an electrode insertion space after forming the electrode insertion space by folding the separator in the zigzag shape in advance.
The secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus, may include: a separator supplying device supplying the separator in a first direction; a pair of reference rollers separately fixed and arrayed in top and bottom locations of the secondary battery inner cell stack in a first direction to guide the separator; first and second mandrel rows separately arrayed along a second direction with the separator as a center and formed to be movable in each of the second and third directions by separately arraying a plurality of mandrels at the same interval in a region between the pair of reference rollers in the first direction; and first and second electrode supplying devices separately arrayed along the second direction with the separator as a center and formed to be movable in each of the second and third directions by separately arraying the anode plates or the cathode plates at the same interval in a region between the pair of reference rollers in the first direction, wherein the second direction is a direction vertical to the first direction; and the third direction is a direction vertical to the first and second directions.
In the secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus, the first electrode supplying device is arrayed in an outer side of the first mandrel row and the second electrode supplying device is arrayed in an outer side of the second mandrel row with the separator as a center in an initial location, mandrels included in the first mandrel row and mandrels included in the second mandrel row are alternately arrayed in the first direction for alternate moving of the first mandrel row and the second mandrel row in the second direction, one type of electrode plate selected from the anode plate and the cathode plate is arrayed in the first electrode supplying device in parallel with the mandrels of the first mandrel row in the first direction, and another type of electrode plate, which is not arrayed in the first electrode supplying device, is arrayed in the second electrode supplying device in parallel with the mandrels of the second mandrel row in the first direction.
The first and second mandrel rows and the first and second electrode supplying devices may be integrally formed.
In another general aspect, a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking method based on a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus, includes: forming an electrode insertion space by folding a separator in a zigzag shape; simultaneously inserting a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates into an electrode insertion space.
In still another general aspect, a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking method based on a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus, includes: supplying a separator into a region of first and second mandrel rows by a separator supplying device; alternately moving the first and second mandrel rows in a second direction to form the separator in a zigzag shape; moving first and second electrode supplying devices in the second or a third direction to insert an anode plate or a cathode plate into an electrode insertion space formed on a left and a right, respectively, by folding the separator in a zigzag shape; separating the first and second electrode supplying devices from the anode plate or the cathode plate and removing the first and second mandrel rows by moving the first and second mandrel rows in the third direction; and cutting the separator in a location of a reference roller of a top or a bottom.
The alternately moving of the first and second mandrel rows and the moving of first and second electrode supplying devices may be simultaneously performed since the first and second mandrel rows and the first and second electrode supplying devices are integrally formed, wherein in the moving of first and second electrode supplying devices, the first and second electrode supplying devices move in the second direction.
In the separating of the first and second electrode supplying devices, the first and second electrode supplying devices may move in the second or third direction and be removed.
The method may further include: after the cutting of the separator, performing a post treatment process including a pressing or heating process on a completed cell stack stacked body in the first direction.
The method may further include: after the performing of a post treatment process, welding each tab of the stacked anode plates to each other in the first direction and welding each tab of the stacked cathode plates to each other in the first direction; and enclosing and fixing a circumference of the cell stack stacked body in the first and second directions with the separator.
Advantageous Effects of InventionThe present invention shows a large effect in essentially removing a limitation that it takes a long time to complete one cell stack in a conventional Z-folding stacking method since layers are stacked one by one. To be specific, since the present invention forms a complete body of cell stacks at one by performing multiple insertions on a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates after folding a separator in a zigzag shape in advance, a production time is remarkably reduced in comparison with the convention method.
Therefore, the present invention has economic effects that productivity of a secondary battery is maximized and a merchantable quality is improved to the maximum level by largely reducing a production cost for the secondary battery.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
- 1: anode plate 2: cathode plate
- 3: separator
- 10: cell stack stacking apparatus (of the present invention)
- 11: reference roller
- 12a: first mandrel row 12b: second mandrel row
- 13a: first electrode supplying device
- 13b: second electrode supplying device
Hereinafter, a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus and method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
Conventionally, a cell stack is prepared by folding the separator 3 after arraying the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 2 on the separator 3. Otherwise, as shown in
However, the present invention may acquire a good alignment state and remarkably reduce a production time since a cell stack is prepared by inserting a plurality of electrodes at once in spaces formed in left and right sides when the separator 3 is folded in a zigzag shape, which is a format that the cell stack is completed, in advance as shown in
With reference to
The separator supplying device supplies the separator 3 in a first direction. For example, the first direction may be an up and down direction, i.e., a gravity direction, as shown in
In top and bottom locations of the cell stack formed by the cell stack stacking apparatus 10 of the present invention, a pair of reference rollers 11 are securely arrayed by being separated to each other in the first direction. A separated degree of the reference roller 11 is determined by a cell stack size and the separator 3 is guided to a right location by the reference roller 11.
As shown in the drawing, the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b are formed by separately arraying a plurality of mandrels at the same interval in the first direction in a region between a pair of reference rollers 11. The first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b are separately arrayed in a second direction on the basis of the separator 3. The first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b are formed to be movable to each of the second direction and a third direction. The second direction is vertical to the first direction and the third direction is vertical to the first and second directions. For example, when the first direction is an up and down direction as shown in
As shown in the drawing, the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b separately array a plurality of anode plates 1 or cathode plates 2 at the same interval in the first direction in the region between the pair of reference rollers 11. The first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are separately arrayed on the basis of the separator 3. The first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are formed to be movable to each of the second and third directions. When the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b move to the second direction, i.e., to the left and right direction, the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are separately arrayed in the second direction, i.e., the left and right direction in the drawing, from the separator 3. When the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b move to the third direction, i.e., the front and rear direction in the drawing or a direction of going into a ground or coming out from the ground on the basis of the drawing, the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are separately arrayed in parallel to the third direction, i.e., a front and rear direction in the drawing, with respect to a location of the electrode plate after completion. The first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b may be formed integrally with the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b.
For reference, the anode plate 1 or the cathode plate 2 may be arrayed in any one of the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b. However, when the anode plate 1 is arrayed in the first electrode supplying device 13a, the cathode plate 2 is arrayed in the second electrode supplying device 13b. Reversely, when the cathode plate 2 is arrayed in the first electrode supplying device 13a, the anode plate 1 is arrayed in the second electrode supplying device 13b. That is, when any one type of electrode of the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 2 is selectively arrayed in the first electrode supplying device 13a, the other type of electrode that is not arrayed in the first electrode supplying device 13a is arrayed in the second electrode supplying device 13b.
Initial locations and detailed array formats of the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b and the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b will be described in detail with description on operations according to processes of each portion with reference to
The cell stack stacking method using the cell stack stacking apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention includes processes shown in
The initial locations and the detailed array formats will be described. At an initial stage, mandrel rows and electrode supplying devices are arrayed along the second direction. As shown in
As shown in
When each of the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b alternately move in the second direction, the separator 3 is formed of a zigzag shape and electrode insertion spaces are created. It will be described in detail hereinafter. The first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b insert the anode plate 1 or the cathode plate 2 into the electrode insertion spaces. Accordingly, as shown in
The cell stack stacking method using the cell stack stacking apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention will be described according to each process.
As shown in
As shown in
Since the separator supplying device enables the separator 3 to be smoothly supplied while giving proper tension to the separator 3, the separator 3 may maintain a zigzag shape at the proper tension by the pair of reference rollers 11 located in the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b, and the top and the bottom.
As shown in
When the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are arrayed in parallel with the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b in the third direction, the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b move as follows. On the basis of
When the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are integrally formed with the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b, the moving of the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b may be simultaneously performed with the moving of the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b as shown in
When the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are arrayed alternately with the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b in the third direction, moving of the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b is as follows. This array is shown in
When the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 2 are inserted into and arrayed in the electrode insertion space of the separator 3 folded in the zigzag shape by the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b, the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b and the first and second electrode supplying devices 13a and 13b are removed. As shown in
Since the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b should be removed without damaging the separator 3, the first and second mandrel rows 12a and 12b are removed by moving in the front and rear direction on the basis of
As shown in
As shown in
It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the embodiments and application fields are diverse. In addition, various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without deviating from the basic concept of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus that prepares a secondary battery inner cell stack comprising a separator folded in a zigzag shape, and an anode plate and a cathode plate that are alternately inserted and stacked in folded portions of the separator, wherein a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates are simultaneously inserted into an electrode insertion space after forming the electrode insertion space by folding the separator in the zigzag shape in advance.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus, comprises:
- a separator supplying device supplying the separator in a first direction;
- a pair of reference rollers separately fixed and arrayed in top and bottom locations of the secondary battery inner cell stack in a first direction to guide the separator;
- first and second mandrel rows separately arrayed along a second direction with the separator as a center and formed to be movable in each of the second and third directions by separately arraying a plurality of mandrels at the same interval in a region between the pair of reference rollers in the first direction; and
- first and second electrode supplying devices separately arrayed along the second direction with the separator as a center and formed to be movable in each of the second and third directions by separately arraying the anode plates or the cathode plates at the same interval in a region between the pair of reference rollers in the first direction,
- wherein the second direction is a direction vertical to the first direction; and
- the third direction is a direction vertical to the first and second directions.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein in the secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus,
- the first electrode supplying device is arrayed in an outer side of the first mandrel row and the second electrode supplying device is arrayed in an outer side of the second mandrel row with the separator as a center in an initial location,
- mandrels included in the first mandrel row and mandrels included in the second mandrel row are alternately arrayed in the first direction for alternate moving of the first mandrel row and the second mandrel row in the second direction,
- one type of electrode plate selected from the anode plate and the cathode plate is arrayed in the first electrode supplying device in parallel with the mandrels of the first mandrel row in the first direction, and another type of electrode plate, which is not arrayed in the first electrode supplying device, is arrayed in the second electrode supplying device in parallel with the mandrels of the second mandrel row in the first direction.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second mandrel rows and the first and second electrode supplying devices are integrally formed.
5. A secondary battery inner cell stack stacking method based on a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:
- forming an electrode insertion space by folding a separator in a zigzag shape;
- simultaneously inserting a plurality of anode plates and cathode plates into an electrode insertion space.
6. A secondary battery inner cell stack stacking method based on a secondary battery inner cell stack stacking apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:
- supplying a separator into a region of first and second mandrel rows by a separator supplying device;
- alternately moving the first and second mandrel rows in a second direction to form the separator in a zigzag shape;
- moving first and second electrode supplying devices in the second or a third direction to insert an anode plate or a cathode plate into an electrode insertion space formed on a left and a right, respectively, by folding the separator in a zigzag shape;
- separating the first and second electrode supplying devices from the anode plate or the cathode plate and removing the first and second mandrel rows by moving the first and second mandrel rows in the third direction; and
- cutting the separator in a location of a reference roller of a top or a bottom.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alternately moving of the first and second mandrel rows and the moving of first and second electrode supplying devices are simultaneously performed since the first and second mandrel rows and the first and second electrode supplying devices are integrally formed, wherein in the moving of first and second electrode supplying devices, the first and second electrode supplying devices move in the second direction.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein in the separating of the first and second electrode supplying devices, the first and second electrode supplying devices move in the second or third direction and are removed.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
- after the cutting of the separator,
- performing a post treatment process including a pressing or heating process on a completed cell stack stacked body in the first direction.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
- after the performing of a post treatment process,
- welding each tab of the stacked anode plates to each other in the first direction and welding each tab of the stacked cathode plates to each other in the first direction; and
- enclosing and fixing a circumference of the cell stack stacked body in the first and second directions with the separator.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 22, 2010
Publication Date: May 10, 2012
Applicant: SK INNOVATION CO., LTD. (Seoul)
Inventors: JeonKeun Oh (Daejeon), Sang Bum Kim (Seoul), Jidong Yang (Daejeon)
Application Number: 13/266,655
International Classification: H01M 10/04 (20060101); H01M 2/10 (20060101);